Insect Fauna of Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary, Bihar, India: A Baseline Assessment
Rishu Raj
Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna 800005, Bihar, India.
Mayank Singh
Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna 800005, Bihar, India.
Md Shahbaz
Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna 800005, Bihar, India.
Mohammad Masroor Zafar
Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna 800005, Bihar, India.
Abhishek
Nature Environment and Wildlife Society, Kolkata 700020, West Bengal, India.
Ambrish Kumar Mall
Munger Forest Division, Munger 811201, Bihar, India.
Shahla Yasmin *
Department of Zoology, Patna University, Patna 800005, Bihar, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This paper presents the list of insects found during the 15-day faunal assessment survey of the Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary (BWS), Bihar. In total, 112 species of insects were documented. A preliminary checklist has been prepared that provides baseline information for biodiversity studies in the region. These species are distributed across 11 orders and 56 families. Of these, 41 species belonged to order Lepidoptera, 18 to order Coleoptera, 12 to order Hymenoptera, 11 to order Orthoptera, nine to order Hemiptera, eight to order Odonata, six to order Diptera, three to order Blattodea, two to order Mantodea, and one each to order Plecoptera and Dermaptera. This checklist is crucial for understanding the health of the ecosystem of Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary.
Keywords: Biodiversity, insects, pollinators, predators, decomposers, Solenopsis Invicta, plutella xylostella, Hyposidra talaca, Leucoma salicis, Neocurtilla hexadactyla, Leptocorisa oratoria, Tetranychus urticae